Cork.



A. R; ROBERTSON.

CORK.

APPLICATION MEDIUM-229.1918.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

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ALEXANDER ROOKIE ROBERTSON, 0F VANCOUVER, BRITISH. COLUMBIA, CANADA.

CORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filed .Tune 29, 1918. Serial No. 242,595.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER ROGKE ROBERTSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Vancouver, in .the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Corks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in corks, with more particular reference to the corks of hot water bottles, and the object of my invention is to devise a cork having means embodied therewith whereby warning is given to the attendant in charge of the application of the bottle or to the unattended user of the same should the temperature of the hot water in the bottle exceed that at which it is safe to apply it to the body, thereby preventing scalding caused by the application of a too hot bottle, a frequent occurrence at the present time.

I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which the figure shows a sectional elevation of my device.

1 indicates a cork formed of any suitable material and threaded externally as at 2 so that it may be screwed into the threaded opening of the 'bottle, which is indicated by the dotted lines, the finger grip portion of the cork being also indicated by dotted lines and the numeral 3.

Extending vertically through the body of the cork is a bore 4, tapering slightly toward the upper end, into which bore is pressed tightly a correspondingly tapering plug 5 of some material which is meltable when subjected to the temperature at which the hot water in the bottle would scald or injure if the same were applied to the skin, this temperature when the application of the bottle is under properly qualified direction not exceeding, say 125 F., so that the plug 5 may preferably consist of paraflin or a similar substance meltable under the predetermined temperature.

The cork may be formed solid, but in order to obtain quick melting of the plug under excess temperature it is preferable to recess the cork all around the plug, as shown at 6, so that, not only is the lower end of the plug subjected directly to the heat but the sides also are subjected to the hot water heat, as the wall 7 is preferably made very thin.

The utility of the device will be apparent, as it will be readily seen that if the plug 5 is meltable at a temperature of say, 125 F. or over, it will melt if the hot water in the bottle exceeds that temperature, in which event the water will leak out through the bore 4, thus giving notice to the attendant or the use of the bottle, so that the same will not be applied and used until the temperature of the water is reduced, and thereby burns and scalds from the application of such bottles when too hot are entirely avoided. The melted plug is readily replaced by a new one when the water in the bottle is at the proper temperature.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a device which is of great benefit both in hospital and private use and that the same, while being simple and practical in operation, is inexpensive to manufacture and use.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with a hot water bag, a cork or stopper therefor provided with a meltable portion adapted to be melted if the hot water in the bottle exceeds a temperature likely to burn the skin of the person using it.

2. In combination with a hot water bag, a cork or stopper with an upwardly tapering bore and a corresponding tapering meltable plug fitting said bore adapted to be melted if hot water in the bottle exceeds a. temperature likely to burn the skin.

Dated at Vancouver, B. 0. this 20th day of June, 1918.

ALEXANDER ROGKE ROBERTSON.

Gopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or iratenta, Wmthinagton, 10.. it. 

